PartnerAppointed as Queen's Counsel in 1986, and inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1994, Mr. Schachter was President of the Quebec Section of the American College of Trial Lawyers from 2006 to 2008. Mr. Schachter practises exclusively in the areas of criminal law, penal law and the penal aspects of competition law. He has appeared before the courts of every level in Canada, including, on numerous occasions, the Supreme Court of Canada.

After practicing as a Quebec Crown Prosecutor from 1969 to 1972 and as a Federal Crown Prosecutor from 1972 to 1976, Mr. Schachter became a senior partner in the law firm of Lapointe, Schachter, Champagne & Talbot. He later joined Lavery, de Billy as a partner and created the first criminal and penal law department to service the business world within a major law firm in the Province of Quebec.

Mr. Schachter authored an article pertaining to criminal law ethics in a textbook entitled Taking the Law Into Your Own Hands: Child Abduction and the Defence of Necessity, which compiled the texts of eight guests of honour who lectured at the University of Windsor Law Faculty in the last eight years.

Mr. Schachter is recognized in the 2015 edition of the Best Lawyers in Canada directory in the field of Criminal Defense. In addition, he has been named Lawyers of the Year for 2014 by Best Lawyers in the field of Criminal Defense in Montreal. Mr. Schachter was awarded the title of Avocat émérite by the Barreau du Québec in 2011.

Representative Work

Participated in the Public Inquiry on Somalia and in the Poitras Commission and the Gomery Commission.

Professional and community activities

Legal counsel for the Murdered or Missing Persons' Families' Association

Board of Governors of the Leave Out Violence (LOVE) non-profit organization

President of the Criminal Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association (Quebec Division) from 1984 to 1988

Lavery at a glance

An independent law firm, offering the full range of legal services to business. More than 200 lawyers in Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières and Ottawa. Member of the World Services Group, an international network of service firms with offices in more than 115 countries.